Welcome mindful writers.
Let's start by finding a comfortable position where we can be upright and alert but still relaxed.
Closing the eyes if it's comfortable for you,
If not just casting the gaze downward to minimize distraction.
And starting with a few intentionally deeper breaths.
Taking a deep inhale.
Noticing that point at the top of the breath where the inhale turns over becomes an exhale following that all the way down.
Perhaps even blowing out that last bit of air.
Watching as the body naturally refills.
With another inhale,
Going at your own pace of course taking a few exaggerated breaths this way.
The idea here is simply to bring our attention inward.
Our minds can race all over time and space but our bodies are always here and now.
So focusing on the breath,
The body is a great way to come into the present moment.
And once you've taken those few deeper breaths,
Go ahead and let go of any control around the breathing.
Just let it find its natural rhythm.
But maintain your awareness of it as it shifts.
Notice how it shifts.
Notice what it can tell you about how you are today.
The breath of course being just one of many data points in a constellation of data points that our mind processes to determine our mental state.
Asking that question,
How are you and how do you know?
And sometimes when we check in with the body in this way,
We don't necessarily find things are as we wish they were.
Sometimes we have aches and pains.
Sometimes we have worries or anxiety.
And if you find this to be true,
Just know that there's nothing more human.
We all deal with these things.
Try to bring as much acceptance as you can to the present moment experience of being you and invite in some gratitude.
Even when things aren't how we wish they were,
We can still take a moment to appreciate the things that are working well enough.
We can all say right now that our bodies are well enough for us to take this time for ourselves in our writing,
To take a few deep breaths,
To hone our focus.
That is a real gift,
Definitely worthy of a moment of gratitude.
And then noticing what gratitude feels like in the body.
Does it shift the sensations at all?
Maybe not.
But just get curious.
Let that sensation of gratitude swell a little bit to fill up awareness,
To radiate out of our bodies,
Even if that feels right to you.
And then we'll let go of the gratitude practice and rest our attention on an anchor.
You can always turn back to the breath as your anchor.
But if focusing on the breath makes it feel tight or uncomfortable in any way,
Simply shift your attention to a different physical sensation in the body,
Getting curious about the sensations of the feet on the floor,
The hands in the lap,
Or turn your attention entirely outside the body to the sounds in the room.
Waiting patiently for each sound to rise and pass away,
Letting that patience and attentiveness be your anchor.
And know too that what worked for you as an anchor the last time you sat down might not work for you today.
Be open to possibility.
Choose what works for you right now.
Rest your attention on that anchor and let all other thoughts drift on by.
All of our to dos and have tos will still be waiting for us when we're done with our writing.
And right now we're just gonna let them go.
And sooner or later,
You will notice that your mind has wandered from that anchor.
Perhaps you're planning dinner or drafting an email in your mind,
Whatever it is.
Just let that thought go.
Come back to the anchor,
Begin again.
Check in with the mind.
Just notice if it's wandering.
Come back to your anchor if you need to.
And in our last few moments here,
If you'd like to go ahead and bring to mind whatever it is you're writing today.
Just letting it float up into consciousness and preparing to transition from our more formal meditation into some focused writing time.
And in a moment,
I'll ring the bell three times.
I invite you to maybe take one more deep breath before you open your eyes and get to work.
Happy writing.
